shows warming world

January 21, 2011 – 2:12PM

Last year tied for the hottest year on record, confirming a long-term warming trend which will continue unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut, the World Meteorological Organisation says.

The first 10 years of the millennium proved to be the hottest decade since records began in the 19th century, it said.

“The main signal is that the warming trend continues and is being strengthened year after year,” WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud told a news conference on Thursday.

“The trend, unfortunately, will continue for a number of years but the amplitude will depend on the amount of greenhouse gases released,” the Frenchman added. “It will depend on action taken to minimise the release of greenhouse gases.”

Mr Jarraud said the latest data should convince doubters about the growing evidence for man-made climate change.

“If they look at it in an unbiased way, it should convince them, or hopefully a few of them, that the sceptical position is untenable.”

2010 was also marked by further melting of Arctic ice – in December its extent was at its lowest on record, the WMO said – and by extreme weather, including Russia’s heatwave and devastating floods in Pakistan.

Rising temperatures, already about 0.8 degree Celsius above pre-industrial times, mean the world will struggle to limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, a target agreed by almost 200 nations at UN talks in Mexico last month.

Many experts see 2 degrees as a threshold for dangerous climate change, such as more heatwaves, droughts, floods and rising seas.

“We have to act very fast and strongly [to limit emissions],” said Bob Ward, of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He noted that many sceptics say global warming has stopped because of no new records since 1998, when temperatures were boosted by a strong El Nino event that warms the Pacific.

“But they cannot explain away the fact that nine of the 10 warmest years have occurred since 2000,” he said.

“Data received by the WMO show no statistically significant difference between global temperatures in 2010, 2005 and 1998,” the United Nations body, which compiles its ranking from data provided by British and US agencies, said in a statement.

Data from British institutes on Wednesday showed last year was the world’s second warmest behind 1998, while the other two main groups tracking global warming, based in the United States, said 2010 was tied for the hottest on record.

Over the 10 years from 2001 to 2010, global temperatures have averaged 0.45 degrees Celsius above the 1961-1990 average and are the highest ever recorded for a 10-year period since climate records began, WMO said.

The difference between the three hottest years was less than the margin of uncertainty in comparing the data, according to WMO, whose assessment is based on climate data from land-based weather and climate stations, ships, buoys and satellites.

The fight against global warming suffered a setback in the wake of the financial crisis, slowing funding for renewable energy projects and knocking momentum from international efforts to agree on a climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2013.

Reuters

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Presenter: Robert Rosen

Brunswick Heads Chamber of Commerce
Listen to Presentation

Robert provided an overview of EV developments and prospects in Australia. Byron Shire has been acknowledged as a holiday destination that attracts envrionmentally aware visitors and sets the scene for a project involving a hire care business which adopts environmental alternatives.

Recieved & published by Henry Sapiecha

by Cynthia Booth

New Jersey school of architecture professor presents us how to construct an environmental-friendly home with limited funds

Did you know 2 New York based architects designed an asymmetrical home with a fixed cost of $250,000?

Architects and Jersey City residents Richard Garber (assistant tutor at the Newjersey Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture and Design in Newark) and Nicole Robertson of GRO Architects in New York City rose to the challenge of designing and managing the construction of a single-family house that’s an authentic evidence of both revolutionary design and environmental-friendly technologies.

Denis Carpenter not too long ago bought one small vacant lot and, to accomplish his concern for the planet, wanted a house that was cost-efficient and easy to maintain.

What’s so exceptional about this home?

- In the home, on the floor level, radiant heating below the exposed cement floor gets warm the full bathing room and a couple of bedrooms.

- In the loft-like second level, sleek aluminum and stainless steel railings accent the bamboo stairway to the mezzanine, living room and an artfully designed kitchen made with salvaged home appliances and cabinetry.

- Passive air conditioning strategies like ceiling fans and clerestory windows make it easy for home owners to remain cool during summer months and warm during winter months.

- The roof consists of 260 sq ft of solar panels that provide nearly 2,000 kilowatts of energy annually to a battery stored in the basement.

This single family 1,600-square-foot home was constructed in six months and won a 2009 American Institute of Architects merit award and the 2010 Green Building of the Year Award from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency.

Now what? How could you convert your home into an environmentally-friendly home without investing too much money?

If you’re remodeling a home, perform an energy audit first to help you identify what energy efficiency improvements should and can be made to your home. In this way you’ll evaluate how much energy your home needs.

My personal favorite eco-friendly methodology is the passive solar cooling/heating design.

Passive solar usually means that your home’s windows, walls, and floors can be designed to collect, store, and distribute solar power in the form of heat in the winter season and reject solar heat in the summer time.

Existing houses can be adapted or “retrofitted” to passively collect and store solar heat too.

The next five aspects constitute a comprehensive passive solar home design:

The Collector – The area through which sunlight enters the building (usually windows).

The Absorber – The hard, darkened surface of the storage element. Sunlight hits the surface and is absorbed as heat.

The Thermal Mass – The components that retain or store the heat produced by sunlight below or behind the absorber surface.

The Distributor – The system by which solar heat circulates from the collection and storage points to different areas of the house.

The Controller – Roof overhangs may be used to shade the aperture area during warm weather or Thermostats that signal a fan to turn on.

The author – Cynthia Booth contributes articles for the <a href=”http://www.architecturecareers.org/”>architecture careers advice</a> blog. It’s a nonprofit web-site dedicated to provide help for beginning architects who need resources for their careers. With this she would like to raise the awareness on eco-friendly home design and change the general public conception of energy efficiency.

NEW YORK (UPI) — Among workers involved in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup will be some very tiny ones, U.S. researchers say — microbes that love to munch on crude oil.

One of the hidden stars of the cleanup effort is an oil-hungry bacterium called Alcanivorax, one of a class of microbes that can disassemble hydrocarbons, the building blocks of oil, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

It and other similar microbes can clean up oil in a process called biodegradation.

A report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said early observations showed oil from the spill “is biodegrading quickly.”

Microbial swarms were feasting on most remaining effects of the spill, including dispersed oil and oil forming a sheen on or just below the surface, the report said.

“Colleagues who have been sampling tell me that the intrinsic biodegradation rates are high,” Ronald M. Atlas, a microbiologist at the University of Louisville, said.

“I believe that most of the oil will not have a significant impact. That’s been the story with spills that stay offshore.”

Copyright 2010 by United Press International

Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

Energy efficient lighting e-Bulletin

On 21 July 2010 QWESTNet held its second lighting forum in Brisbane. Held in association with

the Illuminating Engineering Society (ies), the forum focused on energy efficient lighting

technologies including LEDs, lighting controls and the use of daylight.

Click on ‘listen to presentation’ or the presenter’s photograph to hear the presentation

ies Partner Presentation
Presenter:Gillian Isoardi
ies/University of Queensland
Listen to Presentation

Gillian’s presentation gives an overview of the role of IES and outlines the positive reasons

for businesses to pursue energy efficient lighting.  Adhering to best practices in lighting will

ensure an installation that meets the needs of all users. Further benefits can, of course,

be realised by lowering operating costs of buildings but also by improving the quality of

workspaces and the appearance of products.

LED: good, bad and best practice
Presenter: Gorana Jusufovich
Lumascape
Listen to Presentation

A brief discussion of some of the benefits and pitfalls of using LED

based lighting systems. How do LEDs compare to conventional light

sources; what to be aware of when selecting an LED based lighting product; and busting

some of the myths surrounding LEDs.

Facility management and lighting controls
Presenter:Lance Stewart
Creative Lighting
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Why do we need lighting control systems and what do we need from them?

Can best lighting practice be achieved under the Building Code of Australia

and what is good lighting practice any way? Lance discusses recent trends in efficient lighting

and control.

Daylighting and Greenstar
Presenter: Carl N Gray
MGF Consulting NQ
Listen to Presentation

A brief primer on daylighting as applicable in Queensland workplaces,

specifically what can and cannot be done with daylight? Why we should

do more; why we should be very careful about it; how it can be done; and who to ask.

Top

Case Studies

Queensland Police Service fit-out Presenter: Caitlyn Young Norman Disney & Young Listen to Presentation The Queensland Police Service CBD facility fitout was completed in 2004/2005. Utilising an Energy Conservation Systems (ECS) lighting control system, occupancy based switching and daylight harvesting have delivered an efficient lighting design and flexibility for future changes. The integration of this system has led to a significant saving in energy and CO2 emissions. William McCormack Place Presenter: Carl N Gray MGF Consulting NQ Listen to Presentation The Queensland Government’s newest office building located in Cairns has attained ‘World Leader’ green status – the first outside of a capital city. In line with the lighting engineer’s vision, an emphasis on real world performance was placed before Greenstar ‘point scoring’ to achieve a highly energy efficient yet highly comfortable building. Highlights include effective daylighting and shading, a novel approach to daylight harvesting, direct/indirect lighting and the integration of ceiling fans. Queesland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) Presenter: Doug Brimblecombe QPAC Listen to Presentation Between November 2008 and March 2009, QPAC refurbished its major theatres and public spaces for the first time since the centre was constructed 25 years ago. This was an opportunity for QPAC to introduce more efficient lighting practices without compromising the nature of the building and its use. As part of the refurbishment, aged incandescent and large wattage fixtures were replaced with LED and halogen lights. In the Concert Hall auditorium, the original 2500 watt profiles were replaced with three-colour LED lighting and theatrical fixtures, each of 1200 watts. These changes have minimised the amount of lights required to produce colour on stage, while backstage, single watt LED bulbs have replaced 60+ watt ‘blue’ light circuits. One year and three months after the refurbishment, QPAC is seeing energy savings which are expected to improve with further work due to be completed by the end of 2010. CitySwitch Program Presenter: Mark Taylor Brisbane City Council Listen to Presentation Brisbane City Council is partnering in a national office tenant energy management program called CitySwitch Green Office. This program gives your business: a structured process to improve energy efficiency and operating costs; positioning and promotion as an environmental leader; networking opportunities with like-minded companies; regular updates and resources. Key elements to effective lighting Presenter: Darrin Schreier Aurecon Listen to Presentation Efficient lighting is something everybody appears to be looking for, whether it be to meet legislated government criteria, to achieve a Greenstar or NABERS rating, or to save money in the face of rising energy costs. To achieve efficient lighting 4 key elements need to be addressed. Energy efficiency regulation and quality lighting Presenter: Steve Coyne Light Naturally Listen to Presentation There are two levels of energy efficiency which have the potential to affect quality lighting outcomes: energy efficiency of lighting product and energy efficiency of lighting design. The type of regulatory tool implemented for each can have a significant impact on quality lighting outcomes and compliance levels. Whatever form the regulation takes, it is apparent that in the future, quality lighting outcomes will require knowledge, expertise and training in lighting design Received & published by Henry Sapiecha

227 Elizabeth Street
Sydney  NSW  2000
PH: 02 8281 7777 FAX: 02 8291 7799
Email: Unknown
Website: www.deus.nsw.gov.au

or                www.energysmart.com.au

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

51 Allara Street
Canberra  ACT  2600
PH: 02 6213 7961 FAX: 02 6213 7945
Email: Unknown
Website: Unknown

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Ministerial Council on Energy

51 Allara Street
Canberra  ACT  2600
PH: 02 6213 7789 FAX: 02 6213 7904
Email: Unknown????
Website: www.mce.gov.au

Sourced & published by Henry Sapiecha

Fraser Coast Regional Council

www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au

is inviting the community to make submissions on its draft of

our Sustainable charter

View it on the council web site or at council offices/service centres or libraries

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE NINTH JULY 2010

Register on line or address your comments to:

Chief Executive Officer

Fraser Coast Regional Council

PO Box1943

Hervey Bay Q4655

Published by Henry Sapiecha